Falter
by Nadare
Summary: An office building at night, and an entity set on pushing the limits of friendship make for an interesting evening.


_Author's Notes: Much as I try not to, I see potential yaoi everywhere, and even in a manga where events are centered around addicts, my eyes still see what is not there. Thus, the story below, an inkling that swam around in my head a few months before I had to write it out. Damn you, CLAMP!_

_Alas, there is some lime action, so for readers not into that sort of thing, you may want to go read something else…_

(Written between May 27th to November 3rd of 2006)

Disclaimer: 'xxxHolic' belongs solely to CLAMP, and no matter how many times I try to convince myself, I don't own it. ;;

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**_"Falter"_**

A xxxHolic shounen ai one-shot

Watanuki Kimihiro's pace slowed as he neared his employer's house, and for once not being harassed by any ghosts or spirits, he took a moment to gather his wits, as Ichihara Yuuko was not known for sound reason when it came to matters involving and not involving making Watanuki work his hardest to appease her wishes. He'd been tricked into working for Yuuko anyway, so what did it matter whether or not she took advantage of him?

Biting down on his lower lip, when a familiar unearthly moan entered the air near his shoulder, Watanuki turned and briefly eyeing the huge black mass ready to leap upon his back, Watanuki took the few steps needed to reach the fence surrounding the house, pressing a hand to the hard wood, the spirit immediately dissipated, leaving Watanuki in peace. In his internal rant, he'd forgotten why he put up with Yuuko in the first place, she had the power (or so she claimed) to forever banish the spirits that had followed Watanuki all his life.

If a few years of bending to Yuuko's will granted him the ability to walk along the streets of Japan undisturbed by the supernatural, Watanuki would gladly shoulder whatever task Yuuko handed whether it was cooking, buying sake, or solving a case a client unwittingly brought to her. _"There is no such thing as coincidence in this world, only hitsuzen." _

"Watanuki's arrived!"

"Arrived!"

"Mokona wants sake!"

"Ah, Watanuki-kun? Could you prepare some tea and snacks for our guest?"

Blinking as he slipped off his shoes, Watanuki slipped past Maro and Moro as they bounced about nosily in the hall near the entrance, and shooing Mokona from the shoji doors, slid them open a crack and peered inside. In her usual stupendous garments, this time a black silk kimono with white and gray butterflies covering the cloth, with her hair tied back in a single thick braid, Yuuko sat across from a silent middle-aged man.

Appearance wise, the man had cropped black hair with a few streaks of white, brown eyes and was dressed in a simple business suit; eyeing his grave expression, Watanuki met his employer's eyes and seeing Yuuko nod, he headed to the kitchen, and ignoring Mokona's continuous cries for a sip of sake, Watanuki strained his ears trying to overhear the conversation in the other room.

"Now, how can I help you, Suzuhara-san? You surely didn't come for an afternoon snack."

"You've helped me before, Yuuko-san, and I'm hoping you'll be able to again. You see, my company is having some problems, and I'm unsure of how to fix them, my employees say it has something to do with the sixth floor but I've never seen or heard anything that would explain their unease about working on the floor."

Entering the room quietly, a moment later Watanuki placed the tray containing tea upon the table and serving Suzuhara and Yuuko accordingly, turned and started to walk out when Yuuko laughed quietly and shifting slightly so he could sneak a peek at her face, Watanuki doubled his pace and nearly sped to the kitchen, making it had it not been for Maro and Moro grabbing his arms and hauling him back towards the sitting room.

Having recognized the mischievous look on the woman's face, and marking it as one that never boded well for him, Watanuki sighed loudly as he was brought to stand stiffly near Yuuko. "Suzuhara-san, I believe I've the perfect solution for you. Of course there's still the matter of payment…"

Following Yuuko's glance towards the man's left right hand, particularly his ring finger, Suzuhara smiled bitterly, and sliding the ring off, handed the metal band to Yuuko. "A symbol of your split alliance between your business and your marriage, and a confirmation of which you put first in your life. Yes, this will be enough indeed," Yuuko announced, tendering the ring to the waiting hands of Maro who passed it to her companion Moro, and the two headed off in the direction of the already overcrowded storage room.

"My associate Watanuki-kun will be assisting me with this, so Suzuhara-san, please leave the matter to me and I will see that everything is resolved."

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Shizuka Domeki walked just behind Watanuki as they proceeded past the front desk of the office building, noting with a thread of amusement that despite his friend's initial bitching and moaning about how Domeki wasn't needed for the late night outing, Watanuki had been quick to rely on him to watch his back when he'd realized the office building they had been assigned to investigate was pitch black and beyond a few security guards, devoid of the usual employees that frequented the company building during the day.

"Should have realized it'd end up like this when Yuuko looked me as she did, it never works like I think it will when she looks happy like that…" Raising a brow as Watanuki continued mumbling to himself, sometimes kicking at the air, Domeki doubled his pace and matched his stride to Watanuki's, ignoring the look of irritation that flitted over Watanuki's expression when he did so. "What, is the spooky atmosphere starting to get to you?"

A corner of his mouth twitching as he resisted the smirk looming behind his composed facade, Domeki ground out, "Isn't that supposed to be my line? You're the one who wanted me to walk behind you, you know." When Watanuki's shoulders jerked in response, Domeki knew he'd struck a nerve, and watching as Watanuki puffed out his chest and walked ahead determinedly, Domeki wondered if his presence would actually be needed tonight or not.

He hadn't minded in the past assisting Watanuki when the time called for it, but something about the way Yuuko had called and explained the situation seemed odd to him, though Domeki couldn't put his finger on exactly what felt off about this particular investigation. They'd already walked the ground floor as a precaution, and were just now heading up to the supposedly haunted sixth floor, no doubt Domeki would see nothing of the actual spirit if there was one, thanks to his grandfather's blood, but then again that was why Watanuki was needed.

It was odd watching Watanuki interact with spirits, things that he couldn't see but were there nonetheless, and judging by his friend's reactions at times, it was often a disconcerting experience, but more than a few times Watanuki seemed generally happy he was able to make use of his gift to solve supernatural problems. It was this quality that had drawn Domeki to Watanuki in the first place, in spite of the boy's obvious faults, which mostly consisted of being clumsy, quick to get angry when he was uncomfort-

"Domeki, are you even listening to me?"

"…Hmm?"

"I said we've reached the sixth floor." Stepping off the last step of the stairwell, and eyeing the door etched with the number 6, Domeki moved to stand just beside Watanuki. "So we have. I suppose we just take things as they come?"

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"Given we have no idea what to expect beyond a bare bones idea, yeah," Watanuki bit out, eager to have this investigation over with, so he could be away from his classmate and least-favorite person in the world. Domeki stood for everything Watanuki was not, cool versus easily panicked, monotone versus overly emotional, attractive versus ordinary looks, completely unaware of the allure others saw in him versus insecure and all too aware of his many flaws.

If Domeki hadn't forced himself into the friendship between Kunogi Himawari and himself, Watanuki could have acted on his feelings for the girl (if he'd gathered enough guts), and perhaps entered the start of a relationship with Himawari-chan, but with Domeki present (who didn't give a crap about girls anyway), Watanuki knew he had little to no chance of making Himawari see past the self-imposed friendship the pair had. It didn't help that Himawari-chan often said innocently enough that Domeki and himself seemed to be very good friends.

They were just the opposite, and though there were moments when Watanuki thought Domeki was cool, usually when his classmate had managed to save his ass _yet_ again, they were few and far in-between, and never would Watanuki ever voice this fact. Mainly, because there were times when Watanuki thought Domeki's friendship with him bordered on something…dangerous yet indescribable, as if Watanuki only had to allow it to proceed further, and inevitability would step in and finish the job.

While his mind had sped away, his body had crossed the doorway and had begun to make his way into the dark hallway, head moving back and forth as Watanuki surveyed the surroundings, relying on the footsteps behind him to never lose pace and leave him by his lonesome. No, that was something even someone as inconsiderable as Domeki wouldn't do, hell his companion had once spent hours standing in the rain, holding the only lifeline that would bring Watanuki back from the Land of the Dead.

Suddenly, the footsteps paused behind him, and after an odd sound resumed, but it had been enough of an interruption that Watanuki turned and noted Domeki had turned himself around, walking backwards instead of forward like normal people did. "What are you doing that for, idiot?" He hadn't meant to actually voice the thought, but now that it was out, there was no way Watanuki was taking back and looking stupid.

Domeki's head tilted to the side, and one shadowed eye shifted to look at him calmly, as if the insult Watanuki had inserted at the end of the question had never been present. "So I can watch your back…idiot." Face flushing briefly in embarrassment, Watanuki grunted and looked forward once again, trying to feel out the environment without Domeki distracting him, after all, he was here to see if the discomfort the employees spoke of was due to a ghost's meddling, not to trade banter with Domeki.

Not that he liked to trade insults with Domeki, he was lucky his classmate was even in a talking mood, some days he would just sit in on the afternoon lunches Watanuki sometimes managed with Himawari-chan, and listen, instead of contributing to the conversation Watanuki had striven to start, all while snatching food no one had managed to finish, or lost track of. Drawn out of his thoughts by a odd murmuring near his ear, words that seemed to fall over each other continuously, Watanuki cleared his mind and tried to see if he could locate the source of the sound, but it had only been a glimpse and try as he might, Watanuki couldn't pinpoint it again.

But it had proven there was _something_ here, but just what kind of something remained unseen, and not wanting to outright taunt the being, Watanuki's feet worked again, and kept his senses extra aware in case he stumbled over another breadcrumb.

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_We should have brought flashlights,_ Domeki thought to himself absently, eyes wandering over the hallway behind them for anything that seemed odd, but being a psychic null, Domeki was forced out of any supernatural happenings, and needed to lean heavily on the physical evidence or lack of, in this instance. He saw nothing unusual on the walls around him that screamed "haunted" and beyond the numerous notes on the billboards situated around the office area, Domeki was just about to ask Watanuki if he had sensed anything when his classmate stiffened, and stood silently for a few minutes, as if listening to some melody Domeki couldn't hear.

"Watanuki?"

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Unaware of his companion's inquiry, Watanuki watched with wide eyes as the office area around him began to change, the darkness his eyes had gotten so used to, shifting into light, nearly blinding him with the intensity of it. It looked to be mid-afternoon yet Watanuki was sure it was just after midnight, disregarding the matter as he was sure it had no bearing on the vision unfolding beyond him, Watanuki noted with interest that vaporous figures of employees hustled and bustled around him, having slowly taken form from nothing but wispy air.

Whatever inhabited the floor obviously wanted Watanuki to see this, and not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, he committed himself to seeing the conclusion of this ghostly sideshow, as it would no doubt explain and perhaps solve the mystery of the sixth floor. Following a black-haired man as he proceeded towards an office, Watanuki was startled to find himself physically dragged after the employee, and his expression falling into panic as the wooden office door that had just been closed by the man loomed ominously ahead, Watanuki struggled to make his feet follow his will.

Just as the door would have smacked him in the face, Watanuki passed through it and panting, he looked about the office, seeing hardly anything of interest but the nameplate that listed the man's name, Iriya Masaki, and his position as vice president until the employee that had entered leaned over the desktop and kissed Iriya softly. Jaw dropping, Watanuki watched as the vice president stood up, returned the employee's affections for a moment then gently pushed the man away, a flit of anger overcoming his expression.

The sound of their increasingly frantic conversation was muted, perhaps because whatever haunted the floor did not want to relive the moment so vividly; even so Watanuki understood the initial point. Employee A cared for the vice president but position and personal preferences, or perhaps extenuating circumstances did not allow the man to return Employee A's feelings, but Employee A was not so easily deterred and as Watanuki watched the conversation turn into a fight, Employee A's face fell further and further into irritated desperation.

Though he couldn't hear the words, when Employee A stormed out, Watanuki could almost read the man's lips saying, "If you don't give into my wishes, I'll tell everyone about us." Feeling himself being bid after Employee A, Watanuki only had a glimpse of the vice president's face, and seeing a sly smile curve those lips; Watanuki knew this story did not have a happy ending.

Proven right when he was dragged up to the tenth story roof of the building, Watanuki tried not to spy on Employee A as he lit up a cigarette, and puffed away, unknowing of the vice president as he crept past the stairwell entrance and snuck closer to Employee A purposely. Unable to watch anymore, Watanuki closed his eyes, but curiosity bid him to peek between spread fingers, just in time to watch as Employee A's head hit the roof ledge as the vice president let go of his bunched shirt collar.

In the vice president's defense, as the blood begun pooling beneath Employee A's prone body, the man seemed genuinely panicked, and even tore off his jacket and hastily shoved it underneath his subordinate's head but by the dull gaze already instilled in Employee A's eyes, it was far too late for first aid to be of any use.

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"Okay, I didn't mind when I had to open the office door for you, but running up four flights just to stare at the roof ledge is pushing it. …You're not even listening to me, are you?" Eyeing Watanuki, as he remained standing just to his left, Domeki strode forward, turned and stared directly at Watanuki's face from inches away, hoping for some kind of reaction. He blinked, but then he'd been doing that for the last fifteen minutes since falling into whatever spiritual coma had overcome him, at a loss for what to do, Domeki edged closer and breathed heavily in Watanuki's face.

When that did nothing, Domeki licked his lips and giving into the first idea that came into mind, paying no heed as to where such an idea originated, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth onto Watanuki's.

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When darkness pressed in on his vision again, Watanuki was prepared for Domeki's questions as to why he had wandered off, what he had seen, how they could dispel whatever spirit had decided to curse the floor, but what he did not expect was the familiar face stuck far too closely to his own, or the weight and heat of someone else's lips on his own. Immediately, his hands struck out and tried to push Domeki away, but Watanuki only succeeded in pushing his classmate an inch away before Domeki pulled him closer than before, one arm sliding against the back of Watanuki's neck, forcibly keeping him still.

Domeki couldn't be doing this of his own will, he'd never even shown any signs of having an active libido, much less homosexual tendencies so why was he making himself far too comfortable with Watanuki's mouth? Just as he'd begun to think back to the vision of the past he'd seen, Watanuki started when Domeki's tongue was suddenly present, and grimacing internally when it slid past his teeth, and touched upon his own tongue, Watanuki was surprised to find his knees suddenly unsteady.

The odd heady feeling from Domeki's exploration of his mouth fogging his thoughts, Watanuki momentarily lost his reason and pressing himself closer raised his previously stiff arms, and clutched shoulders to try and keep his balance. Unaware he'd closed his eyes, as Domeki pulled away, and a hand came to rest on his right cheek instead, Watanuki opened one dazed eye, and was startled to find that despite his actions, Domeki appeared to be in his right mind, and contemplating the serious expression on his face for a moment, Watanuki took the opportunity to distance himself from his classmate.

Blushing madly, when he'd put a good foot between them, Watanuki crossed his arms, struck an indignant pose and was just about to tell Domeki off when the ground was suddenly closer than he'd expected and a solid weight rested against him, stunned to find he had seemingly tackled Domeki onto the ground. "It's not enough," he heard a strange voice growl out before Watanuki pressed himself closer and kissed Domeki fervently, as if the fact his classmate was a man didn't matter in the least, or that it was Domeki underneath him, of all people.

Feeling warm fingers weave into his hair, Watanuki grunted in pain as his head was forcibly pulled up from it's exploration of Domeki's chesst, and hands situated him firmly on his knees. "Watanuki is in there, right?" Confused by the question, Watanuki blinked at Domeki dazedly, trying to figure why he was asking, after all weren't there more important, productive things to do than sit and talk about meaningless topics?

"This must be why Yuuko wanted me to accompany you, whatever's here doesn't care if it's seen or heard…or experienced," Domeki said quietly, his hands squeezing Watanuki's prone arms unconsciously, looking as collected as ever except for the slight tremble in his fingers. "I'd have preferred if he had come on his own terms but if you won't leave willingly, I suppose I'll have to do something drastic. Watanuki, I'm not doing this because I want to…"

Eyes watching calmly as Domeki shifted his hands to Watanuki's shirt and began undoing its buttons, Watanuki closed his eyes and tilted his head back, moaning in earnest when a warm mouth set to work on his collarbone, a few teeth nipping lightly as a hand slid down his chest and dipped into his pants, fingers brushing his cock before teasing upwards and then a firm grip taking him in hand, almost possessively. "Yes, yes, right there."

Biting his lip as a fingernail pressed into the very tip of him, Watanuki's mind slowly hazed, the insistent image of the disgruntled employee glaring at his boss and lover furiously broke into pieces, the logical result of the man meeting a sudden death and the unease of the current employees working the floor dissipated before Domeki's skillful actions, the absolute ease in which Watanuki yielded himself. Starting internally as the word **yielded **echoed throughout his mind, the sensations his classmate was causing shifted from welcome to uninvited.

Watanuki would never yield before Domeki, of all people, he hated Domeki, hated him for the way he seemed to float easily before life, hated the fact Domeki hadn't and would never be bothered with spirits, how easily Domeki seemed to impose himself upon people, how collected he always seemed, a constant impenetrable shield between him and the world while Watanuki faltered at every step. Furious at the present situation, Watanuki struck out blindly, ignoring the pained groan as he launched himself away from Domeki, hands scrambling to redo his belt, trying to regain his shattered composure.

"Finally." Turning to Domeki, when his classmate reached behind his back and grasped the bow he'd been carrying from it's pack, Domeki closed his eyes for a moment as his body stilled, and taking a deep breath, Domeki opened his eyes, gaze firmly planted on the shadow figure just to the side of Watanuki. He fired an impossibly long moment later, Watanuki staring in admiration as the spirit who'd possessed him fully and managed to keep control as it assaulted Domeki despite his repellent presence, disappeared like smoke, traces wafting throughout the air, but those too, didn't linger.

"Are you better now?" Stiffening, Watanuki nodded, blushing furiously and uncomfortable that Domeki had had to do such provocative things in order to bring his personality back to the forefront so he could vanquish the lust-addled spirit. "I-I'm sorry you had to be bothered," Watanuki said awkwardly, all too aware that Domeki's administrations hadn't gone unrequited, and the fact he was still somewhat excited.

"I didn't mind." His eyes going wide, Watanuki met Domeki's serene gaze, stunned that Domeki would admit such a thing out loud and still be so blasé about it, as if he'd always wanted to…but that was impossible, Domeki couldn't possibly see Watanuki in that light, there had never been any such implications or signals. "Whatever! Let's just get of here, we did what we needed to." _And that's all the thought I will ever put behind this incident._

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"Ara, Watanuki's here early! Isn't that unusual, Maro, Moro?" Ignoring Yuuko's cheery tone as he stepped out of the hall, Watanuki headed to the kitchen and began making preparations for dinner, already planning to incorporate some of the alcohol Yuuko had on hand into one of the dishes. "Did last night turn out like you thought it would?"

His hand stilling on the pot handle upon the stove, at the innocently-voiced inquiry, Watanuki glanced back, reading Yuuko's knowing expression and frowned, a possibility looming from the back of his mind, from Yuuko's laughter when Suzuhara-san had first told of his troubles, to her upbeat attitude as she gave Watanuki directions and saw him off the night before. "No…but then nothing ever does when it comes to you and your shop."

"My, that could be taken as an insult, couldn't it, Mokona? What should we request of Watanuki so he can make it up to us?" Yuuko asked cutesy, her grin echoed by Mokona as it danced around the kitchen tabletop before finally pointing one hand at Watanuki dramatically. "Daifuku (1)! Mokona wants daifuku."

"Daifuku!" Moro echoed happily, clasping hands with Maro, who exclaimed the same word, as was her habit.

His back turned to the group parading behind him, Watanuki smiled before turning back with a frown and raising a fist. "Now see here, that's a dessert, and I'm making dinner! I'm not doing both, so pick one and don't demand things I don't have the ingredients for."

"How mean! He insulted us, and even reprimanded us when we asked for a little extra something. This calls for desperate measures. Mokona, prepare to launch!"

"Roger!"

"What are you guys talking ab- ow, that was a damn apple you threw!"

"Apple, apple!"

"Ah, I can't take anymore!"

END (for now…)

(1) Not really an important note, but I absolutely love daifuku, it's a sort of rice cake usually filled with sweetened red bean paste or jam and comes in just above every variety you can think of. For more information on daifuku, visit: http://en.


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